Hi.
I plan to spend a long weekend in the Southwestern part of Michigan. I will be driving from Chicago. Any recommendations on charming towns on the lake? I am hoping to find a cabin/cottage that allows a medium-sized, incredibly sweet dog.

Grand Haven is nice, although it is a busy little town in the summer, being right on Lake Michigan. I don't know of a cabin/cottage off hand, but the Holiday Inn (Main St.) takes "small pets" (define small...) and two little motels, (Super 8, and Timberly Motel) take pets.

St. Joseph,MI is a charming town on the lake with a holiday Inn downtown and others on the fringe. Don't know about the pets, but a nice public beach and cute shops in town..

Saugatauck is another quaint little town. It is full of shops, resteraunts, and lots of art! We had trouble findng a place to stay there, they were so booked, so we had to drive further inland to find a Holiday Inn.

Much further up the coast is Pentwater and Ludington. My absolute favorite Michigan towns!!!!

Enjoy your stay.

There are two web sites I would check out-www.laketolake.com has listings of b&b's in Michigan listed by region. Also the White Rabbit Inn has resident dogs and cabins they rent to people travelling with pets. Their website is www.whiterabbitinn.com. I also found a book at Barnes and Noble that lists places accross the country that accept pets but most are hotel/motel. Saugatuck is a nice town to wander around also Holland and Union Pier.